No, I’m not talking about using gift cards to pry open the bathroom door your daughter locked from the inside. (In fact, I wouldn’t recommend that at all! Turns out they snap into pieces.)

Let’s say you’ve got a gift card in your hand that you know has a balance on it, but there’s no way you’ll be able to take advantage of it: it’s for a steakhouse and you’ve been vegan for ages; it’s to a store you’ve vowed to stay away from because you consistently overspend there; it’s a gas card, and you’ve just decided to reduce your carbon footprint by moving to the city and only take public transportation.

Whatever. Just bypass the procrastination and realize that you can easily, quickly, and securely get something for that gift card on Plastic Jungle, and I’ll tell you how.

Sell Gift Cards for Cash, Funds in your PayPal Account, or an Amazon.com Gift Card

1) Did someone mention CASH?
That’s right. You can sell gift cards with as little as $10 remaining on them (it doesn’t even have to be an even number, it can be what’s left over after you’ve made a purchase) for CASH. Plastic Jungle honors gift cards from over 400 stores, from Walmart to Tiffany to PETCO to Bass Pro Shops. Once your gift card is verified (by mail or online), Plastic Jungle issues your check or deposits money into your PayPal account, whatever you choose. (Then, don’t forget that you can purchase discounted gift cards to get a deal at another one of those 400+ stores!)

2) Exchange gift cards for Amazon.com Gift Cards.
And what doesn’t Amazon.com sell? From ebooks to grills to groceries, Amazon.com is among the best places to have a store credit. Plus, in this gift card exchange, you’ll receive more than what you’d get in a cash payout – 5% more!

3) Trade in gift cards for Facebook Credits.
We know how fun and addictive those games get. From Farmville and MafiaWars to Happy Aquarium and Zuma Blitz, you can trade your gift card for Facebook Credits using the Plastic Jungle Gift Card Exchange App on Facebook. Just be logged into Facebook and search Plastic Jungle. You’ll see our fan page (Like us!) and the Application page.  When you’re on the App page, you’ll need to allow pop-ups. Then you’re good to start trading.

4) Convert gift cards to GamePoints.
At GamePoints you’re able to exchange gift cards for a virtual currency you can use on hundreds of social games. Log in at GamePoints.com by creating a free account, or using your Facebook account.

5) DONATE gift cards to your favorite charity!
You’ll find that Gift Cards for Good through Plastic Jungle is a very safe, convenient and efficient way to get the balance left on your gift card to your favorite charity or nonprofit. Have your charity check in with Plastic Jungle (at PJ for Nonprofits) to make the process even easier.

So don’t let unused gift cards waste away in your sock drawer when you have all these great options… sell them to Plastic Jungle today!

Perhaps you’ve read the articles: more and more people aren’t bothering to re-gift or even tuck their unwanted gift cards into their wallet this year. They are selling or exchanging them for cash or credits as soon as possible. Why? It’s a good cure for a holiday shopping hangover.

With all the focus on consumer spending this last holiday season, everyone from local TV news (KTRK-TV an ABC affiliate in Houston, TX) to savvy Internet news sites (CNNMoney.com) is reporting on the gift card trend. With so many cards flying around, it could mean that even when people are given a gift card to a store they love, it may very well be that they can’t use it. Let me tell you why:

1)      Fund allocation. Times are tight, and while a $50 gift card for iTunes is much appreciated, the exchange value (especially here on Plastic Jungle) is worth so much more in calm nerves and a paid PG&E bill.

2)      Time allocation. Macaroni Grill might be your family’s favorite restaurant, but getting everyone together to enjoy it is like herding cats. By turning in the card and purchasing a discounted card to the local grocery store, everyone gets the dinner they want at 5 pm, 7 pm and 9 pm, or as they run in and out of the kitchen.

3)      Suffering from Holiday Shopping Hangover. They just purchased the items they were dying to get or couldn’t possibly think of heading to the mall for another four months. Um, yes, it’s true: we tend to shop for ourselves during the holidays. Maybe the necklace they wanted at Macy’s was on fire sale and they couldn’t resist; maybe it was very convenient to get the Kenmore appliance at Sears last month; the Sony laptop and all accessories were begging for purchase at Best Buy while they were at the store picking up Best Buy Gift Cards for all their neighbors. Suddenly, the $100 Macy’s Gift Card looks like it might not see the light of day until another dress situation comes up, and it would be better just to cash it in, load their PayPal account, and pay a bill.

So if you’re on the Plastic Jungle site and wondering, “Who would give up that credit at Victoria’s Secret – especially NOW when they’re having a huge SALE?” (and yes, the sale goes through 11:59 pm EST on January 23, 2011).

Here on Plastic Jungle you can rest assured that your gift card purchase is always safe, and there will be no gift card maintenance fees or expirations dates to worry about.  Further, when you sell or exchange gift cards on Plastic Jungle, it’s a guaranteed transaction with no fees or even shipping to pay.

So pick up that Victoria’s Secret gift card: go ahead and calculate the added savings on top of the up-to-50% off you’ll get at Victoria’s Secret. [At time of writing, Plastic Jungle has a fat selection Victoria’s Secret Gift Cards and eCODES (electronic gift cards) on sale at a 10% discount off face value. When you combine a discounted gift card + Victoria’s Secret sale savings, you could save up to 60% on merchandise today.]

What’s your reason for selling or exchanging your gift cards? We’d love to hear your story.

Was your latest gift an iPod, iPod touch or iPad or iPhone? Lucky!

iTunes sells music, books, apps and TV shows for your iPad, iPod, iPod Touch or iPhone.

Hopefully you got an iTunes Gift Card to load it with media. The iTunes Gift Card is a hot property here on Plastic Jungle, scoring in the Top Ten of your favorite discounted gift cards to buy. In order to use the iTunes cards, you’ll need to set up an iTunes account online, and Apple is happy to show you how.

With your account, the iTunes Store (which is online only) makes it easy to purchase or give music in the MP3/AAC format to anyone: songs, albums, playlists, audiobooks, music videos, movies, and TV shows. And there are so many ways to pay: iTunes gift certificates, gift cards, the iTunes allowance. You can even send music, videos, audiobooks, and apps as gifts.

The iTunes Music Store Gift Card or Gift Certificate may be applied only toward the purchase of music on the iTunes Music Store online. Buy iTunes gift cards through the Apple Store, or get a deal on iTunes gift cards (or purchases!) by buying discounted iTunes gift cards / eCODEs right here on the web’s largest secured gift card exchange: Plastic Jungle.

Hot Tips:

Þ     The Apple gift card is not interchangeable with iTunes gift cards and vice versa. You can’t use an Apple gift card toward iTunes purchases. To get information on checking Apple Store gift card balances, check our blog post regarding Apple Store gift cards. Get good information on iTunes at the Apple Store Gifting Page (very detailed) or iTunes gift page (much simpler).

Þ     The iTunes Store is available only to persons age 13 or older in the U.S. and many other countries.

Þ     Once an iTunes gift card is redeemed, the ENTIRE BALANCE is transferred to your account. You can use it to purchase other iTunes gift cards, but otherwise you can’t refund this credit.

To check the balance on your unused or partially used iTunes gift cards, gift certificates, promo codes (or eCODES), we’ve got the information and links you’ll need.

Check your iTunes Gift Card Balance

iTunes Gift Cards add credit to your balance in the iTunes Store.

WEB and EMAIL: In order to find out the balance on your iTunes Gift Card, you will need to have the latest version of iTunes downloaded to your computer. When you set up your account, or within your existing account, you will have an opportunity to enter the code from the back of your gift card, or the eCODE from your email. Purchases are deducted from this amount, so the amount shown is the amount remaining.

You can also contact iTunes Support for the information. Click on the iTunes Cards and Codes section. They promise to get back to you within 48 hours.

IN-STORE: Bring your iTunes card into an Apple Store and one of the Apple Geniuses can help you find that balance and teach you how to do it at home. Check the Apple Store locator for a store near you.

PHONE: There is no call-in option for checking iTunes balances; you can call customer support to ask questions: 1-800-My-Apple (1-800-6927753).

Check other Plastic Jungle blog posts for the same “Check Your Gift Card Balance” information for other stores, including Sears, Land’s End, Macy’s, Best Buy, Lowe’s, and more.

This post is for all of you folks who are always searching for new ways to make or save money.

If you have credit cards and use them regularly, then you are probably aware of the rewards programs that many credit card companies offer. (This sort of incentive for frequent use began with the “frequent flyer miles” many airlines began offering decades ago.) What you may not realize, however, is that many rewards programs from credit card companies–and some debit cards are even getting into the act, which will very likely become a trend–allow you to redeem your reward points for gift cards.

That’s where Plastic Jungle.com comes in. Once you cash in your credit or debit card reward points and receive the gift card you selected from a major retailer/chain, then you can sell that gift card to us for up to 92% of the value. Simple as that.  We buy gift cards from hundreds of retailers, so you might want to take a look at our list before you select the gift card you want your credit or debit card company to send you.

Isn’t this a fantastic way to get free cash for doing what you already do?

Pass this along to your family and friends who you know use their credit cards/debit cards a lot, or even a little, for the reward points add up quickly.